Lee Guk-jong Boards Doctor-Helicopter to Provide COVID-19 Medical Support in Daegu and Gyeongbuk

At the "Seventh Doctor Helicopter Launch Ceremony" held last September at Ajou University Hospital Gyeonggi Southern Trauma Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Center Director Lee Guk-jong is wearing a headset and talking with officials. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] At the request of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, Professor Lee Guk-jong of Ajou University Hospital will board the dedicated emergency medical doctor helicopter of Gyeonggi Province to provide medical support for COVID-19 in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions.

According to Gyeonggi Province on the 4th, Governor Lee requested Professor Lee on the 29th of last month to provide medical support via the doctor helicopter for the urgent transfer of patients in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, where COVID-19 cases surged. It is reported that Professor Lee accepted the governor's request.

Accordingly, the doctor helicopter will be deployed to transport severe COVID-19 patients in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, and if necessary, it will also be used to transfer trauma patients within the province.

The doctor helicopter will operate after being equipped with electric personal protective equipment and disinfection facilities to prevent infection among medical staff, and it will be operated temporarily until hospital beds in medical institutions in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions are secured smoothly.

Meanwhile, Professor Lee stepped down as head of the Southern Gyeonggi Trauma Center on the 4th of last month. However, he retains his position as a regular professor at the trauma center, allowing him to board the doctor helicopter under the agreement between Gyeonggi Province and Ajou University Hospital.

On the afternoon of January 19th, the 'Doctor Helicopter,' a dedicated emergency medical helicopter in Gyeonggi-do, which had temporarily suspended operations, is conducting a practice flight at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The doctor helicopter was introduced by Gyeonggi Province in August last year and has been operated together with Ajou University Hospital. It is used for transporting severe trauma patients within the province and is called a "flying emergency room."

On October 31st last year, a helicopter belonging to the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters crashed near Dokdo, leading to an emergency safety inspection of the same model doctor helicopter by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for two months.

The safety inspection found no abnormalities, but Ajou University Hospital raised concerns, stating they did not receive detailed information about the inspection and delayed resuming operations. The medical staff at the Southern Gyeonggi Trauma Center also complained of manpower shortages, preventing operation.

Ajou University Hospital decided to resume operations on the 29th of last month after judging that the manpower shortage could be resolved by hiring additional medical staff. The doctor helicopter was deployed for the transfer of trauma patients in Pyeongtaek on the 1st, after about three months.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.